The Overlord and the Human Maid
by Aros001
Summary: In a move that takes all of Nazarick by complete shock, Ainz puts in a request to have Tuareninya, the Great Tomb's human servant, as his maid for a day. Takes place between vols 9 and 10 of the Light Novels (so basically right after season 3 of the anime).
1. Decision

**The Overlord and the Human Maid**

**Part 1:** **Decision**

Always being one to try and keep his paperwork as neat as possible (at least, the paperwork anyone else would be seeing), Ainz Ooal Gown set the report from the Lizardmen village down in the "Finished" pile on his desk, before then taking another detailed document from the "Incoming" stack on his left. Because of spending so much time outside the Great Tomb as Momon he unintentionally had allowed the status reports from the Guardians and the other NPCs to pile up and was now working to whittle the load down.

Not that he could justifiably complain about it that much. Despite being an overlord, there really wasn't that much Ainz himself had to do. Most of Nazarick's functions had already been set in place before they'd been sent to the New World and the NPCs routinely executed their daily tasks without fail. Albedo especially. Internally he feared that if it weren't for the Overseer of the Guardians taking so much of the load off him, he'd have already run this place into the ground and he made certain not to delude himself into thinking otherwise.

His position was much more like the president of a company, which thankfully gave the former salaryman something for his real-world skills to latch onto. His job was mostly just setting policies, seeing to it that they are implemented properly, and making sure that all the subordinates under his direction were being taken care of. How thoroughly he went over all the details of each report he'd been sent showed how seriously he took his role. With everyone else working so hard, all in his name and the name of Nazarick, he had no right not to pull his own weight when he only had this one job to do.

That being said…

The red lights within his skull that acted as his eyes snuck a glance over at his side, Ainz doing his best not to move his head too noticeably.

As per usual whenever he was within his chambers he had a maid attending him. Outside of the Pleiades, all of Nazarick's maids were fairly uniform in design (understandably, given there were forty-one of them having been created between three people). All women with the same maid outfit and hair of various shades of blonde. Detailed as they were, a point of pride for his former friends, it was still easy to confuse one for another for anyone whom didn't interact with them that often, though Ainz still made efforts to know all of their names. This one in particular was at least fairly easy as she was one of the few Homunculus Maids sporting eyeglasses.

The Supreme Being not being as stealthy as he'd hoped, the maid Lumière noticed him looking at her.

"Yes, Lord Ainz? Is there something you needed?"

"What? Oh…! N-no, no. Nothing. It's fine." Ainz shook his head, declining politely as he returned to reading the reports. To that, Lumière gave a bow and resumed her silent stand.

Internally, Ainz gave a sigh.

_"This is starting to wear me down."_ His former voice of Suzuki Satoru grumbled within his head. Before coming to this world and being trapped in this undead form, he never would have believed being smothered by praise was a real thing.

At first Ainz thought it was just his paranoia but it continued with servant after servant until he was absolutely certain he was right. Lumière was standing off to his side, staying out of her master's way and allowing him to work until she was given orders. But Ainz could feel her eyes constantly on him, like he was some kind of rare, exotic animal in a zoo. Her gaze wasn't judgmental. Quite the opposite in fact. It was pure admiration, like every little thing he did was gospel to the maid. And for quite a while now it'd been stressing him out.

He wanted to be a leader worthy of all the NPCs' admiration and praise but they kept constantly raising the bar higher and higher without realizing it. To them, Ainz Ooal Gown was name synonymous to that of a god. A god of gods even, given that the other Supreme Beings had named him as their leader. A truly perfect being, which naturally with Ainz being anything but made him constantly second-guess everything he was doing. It'd gotten to the point where he couldn't even read a simple report in front of one of the NPCs without worrying he was going too slow, thus making them think he wasn't that intelligent, or that he was going too fast, thus making them think he was so much more intelligent than he really was and setting himself up to look bad in the future when he couldn't retain information reading at that speed.

_"I need a break from all this devotion."_ Ainz whined to himself, rubbing the space between his eyes, creating the not thoroughly pleasant sound of bone grinding against bone. _"Just some time where I can relax enough to recharge myself mentally."_

It was a well-known fact that Ainz did not require sleep. Generally he could spend an hour or two alone in his room, time typically spent practicing lines and poses he believed a great ruler would use. But as he could not use the excuse of going to bed for what he'd be doing privately in his quarters for several hours, the NPCs would get worried and periodically check up on him.

For a time he thought maybe he could use his guise as Momon as his reprieve from the life of Ainz but Narberal was almost always by his side. Her magics helped make up for his lack of while using [Perfect Warrior], so she was invaluable out in the field, but her outright disgust and loathing for all the humans around them made her a massive handful to deal with, at least if he wanted to keep her from killing everyone who so much as glanced at him wrong. Even taking her out of the equation, the humans were now starting to close the gap between them and the NPCs when it came to overpraise. Between his insanely fast rise to adamantite rank, his well-publicized duel with Jaldabaoth, and now everything with the Sorcerer kingdom, Momon was more famous than ever and while that had been the goal, it did make for another mask Ainz had to keep himself from cracking.

Be it in the outside world with the humans and Narberal or here in the Great Tomb with the NPCs, Ainz worried how long he'd be able to keep up his guise as a wise, powerful ruler.

_"I suppose at least with Momon I actually did SOME of the things everyone praises me for."_ Ainz commented to himself, though he personally had a hard time counting Hamsuke and Clemintine as accomplishments after how easy they'd been. "Defeating" the vampire and "forcing" Jaldabaoth to run away. Even though he'd come up with the plans with the help of the Guardians, Momon's greatest labors still made Ainz feel just as big of a fraud as the Dark Warrior as he was as a Supreme Being.

Wanting so badly to give a sigh, Ainz held it back, as not to spark Lumière's worry. Instead, acting as though he was done reading the current report, he opted to stretch his stiff neck, lazily gazing upwards at the ceiling and the many-legged other audience he was always playing to.

The Eight-Edge Assassins actually weren't that bad. They'd also become more self-aware since coming to the New World but with their ability to become invisible and that their duty of protecting Ainz involved more focus on the areas around him rather than Ainz himself, even being so littered across the ceiling they were fairly easy to ignore. The maids on the other hand were more of a challenge, most likely because they were closer to humans.

At that offhand comment to himself, however, an interesting thought floated through Ainz's skull.

"Lumière?"

"Oh! Yes, Lord Ainz?" The maid instantly snapped to attention as her master turned to her.

"I don't suppose you'd have the maid schedule on you by any chance, would you? Specifically for those whom would be my maid-for-the-day?"

"I'm afraid I do not, but if you'll permit I can go fetch it for you. The listings are on this floor so it should not take more than a few minutes."

"If you'd be so kind." Ainz nodded his approval.

"My lord!" Lumière thanked him with a quick bow (unneeded, Ainz thought, as she was the one doing something for him) before making off for the doorway. She did not run but Ainz did still have to admire her speed while maintaining such a dignified posture. He recalled that a maid had once scolded a Death Knight he'd summoned for running in the hallways, so he supposed it'd be hypocritical for them to do the same even when preforming tasks for him (though according to that same Death Knight, the maid had tried to apologize many times upon finding out Ainz was the undead's creator).

The trip had been as short as she'd predicted. By the time Ainz had finished the report in his hands and picked up another, Lumière had returned, clipboard in hand.

Giving his thanks to the maid, Ainz flipped through the dates as she returned to her post. _"Alright, good. I thought there was an open day."_ He thought to himself, happy that he'd remembered correctly. Just a few days from now there was no maid on the schedule. _"Momon had agreed to take on a job killing a nest of various were-creatures but the patron specified that the nest could only be found during a full moon. I informed Nazarick ahead of time that it was likely going to be an all-day thing. I must have forgotten to tell them that the noble was discovered to have ties to Eight Fingers and went on the run after we took it over, so the Adventures Guild cancelled the job."_

He pondered what he was thinking carefully. _"Okay. This should work."_

"Lumière."

"Yes, Lord Ainz?"

Ainz turned in his chair to better face her. "If I were to request a change or alteration to the maid's schedule, who would I need to talk to about that?"

"That would be Miss Pestonya, my lord." Lumière answered without even needing to think about it. "Miss Yuri and Mistress Albedo have the authority as well but as the head of the Homunculus Maids, Miss Pestonya is the main overseer."

"I see. Thank you. This should be easy enough then." Ainz said, looking back at the dates just to double-check himself.

Lumière watched her master with some curiosity. "Is there some discrepancy in the current schedule that displeases you, my lord?"

"Hm? Oh, no, nothing like that." Ainz waved off the idea to reassure her. "I'm merely…pondering an experiment."

* * *

"Lord Ainz is requesting Tuare as his maid for the day?!" Sebas felt the world slam against him as he was told those words, the butler of steel nearly feeling his knees give out from under him upon hearing that news.

"That is correct." Yuri Alpha said, adjusting her glasses with grace as she spoke. Tuare stiffened uncomfortably, the shine across the lenses in the light making it difficult to tell if the combat maid was looking at her or not.

Sebas gave a tentative look back at his ward. His master's word was law and normally he'd never even think to question it. But…

"Did he give any reason for why he wants her on that day? Surely one of the Homunculus Maids or even the Pleiades would be better suited if there's anything specific Lord Ainz requires." Sebas asked, mentally apologizing to Tuare for the likely offense in his words. "Tuare's made great progress for a human but she's nowhere near ready yet to serve Lord Ainz directly."

"That is something he said he wishes to judge for himself." Pestonya stepped forward, her voice helping Tuare breathe a little easier. Next to Sebas, half-canine maid had been the kindest to her since she'd arrived in the Great Tomb, enough to the point where Tuare found her unusual appearance more comforting than that of most of the more humanoid residents. "Lord Ainz explained that he wants to see how far she's come as a maid and that serving him personally for a day would be the best way for him to judge that."

Even through his gloves Sebas could feel his nails digging into his palm, unable to relax himself. "But she is only-!"

"It is not our place to question Lord Ainz." Yuri swiftly reprimanded him, despite being his subordinate. "It's best if we not forget this is likely a test for us as well as her. We three were the ones who trained Tuare into being a proper maid. If she is not up to the task, then the fault lies with us."

Sebas and Pestonya could have expected no less of a statement from Yuri. Ever the teacher, just like her creator. And of her two points, the butler could argue with neither of them, especially the first. If his master was to declare white as black, then it was black. Not a single resident of Nazarick, including himself, would ever disagree with that fact. If he declared Tuare would serve him directly, then it was as good as done.

Taking the almost unnoticeable slouch in Sebas' shoulders as a sign that he'd accepted, Pestonya continued. "She was ordered to be given the same treatment as the Homunculus Maids, thus Tuare will also being given the day prior off so that she may best prepare to serve Lord Ainz. Naturally, of course, we'll do everything we can to help you with that, Tuare."

"Th-thank you very much!" Tuare quickly bowed to her upon being addressed.

Yuri could see the worry on Sebas' features plain as day. The way his eyes moved showed he was thinking through every last thing they'd need to go over in order to properly get Tuare ready. Could it actually be done? Human preforming a job normally only done by those created by the Supreme Beings themselves? Perhaps this would be like with Cocytus; a deliberate set-up to fail by Lord Ainz in order to teach them something. But that was not a chance they could take.

Sebas then felt a small tug on the lapel of his suit. When he turned, there was clear look of guilt on Tuare's face, but she fought though it to smile so gently at him.

"I… I promise you, Lord Sebas, I won't let you down." She swore to him with a bow.

The butler felt his nerves soften, just for a moment, before twisting up in knots once again. He couldn't help but be worried for her.

"I know you won't." He said, praying the words he used to assure her and himself would somehow turn out to be true.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Just wanted to take a small break from writing _Grim Tales_ and since I've been obsessively into _Overlord _lately, I had an urge to write something for that. And since Ainz and Tuare haven't interacted that much yet in the anime or Light Novels, I figured why not have that be the focus?

This will be a pretty short story, probably only four chapters, none of which will be very long. Enjoy!


	2. Arrival

**Part 2: Arrival**

When Tuare lurched forward in her bed from her slumber, the only reason she didn't do so with a louder scream was due to the years of punishing conditioning.

She could still feel the phantom hands from her dream all over her body. Like hundreds of bugs and jackals attacking her all at once, teeth and claws tearing into her harder each time she begged for them to stop.

And then there was the laugher. That relentless, cruel laughter still echoing in the back of her mind. That horrible sound as it pinned her to the ground and forced her legs op-!

"Tuare." The girl's body jolted at the sound of her name, instinctively pulling herself to the bed's other side, away from who said it.

But Tuare's mind slowly came back to reality and her wide, terrified eyes finally were able to see that it was Sebas, standing patiently at her bedside.

At the sight of him, her body relaxed. But it was a double-edged sword, for no longer taut Tuare just broke, her eyes stinging painfully as the tears quickly started to flow.

Her front practically slammed into Sebas's chest as she clung desperately to him, but Sebas was not pushed back even an inch. He simply placed his hands along her back, holding her gently as she sobbed and screamed into his jacket, saying not a word as he allowed her to just let it all out.

The minutes passed by and Tuare's chokes slowly became less harsh, transitioning to quieter raspy trembles. But still, Sebas did not make her let go, merely moving to sit down on the bed so his ward could be in a more comfortable position.

The next several minutes with nothing by silence, only occasionally interrupted by the flickers of the candles and the dry hiccups for air Tuare took in. It was only when she was ready did the scene move forward, Tuare finally working up the nerve to lift her head up from Sebas's soothing embrace.

"I'm sorry…" Her voice cracked as she spoke, her sleeve wiping away what little wetness there was left around her painfully red eyes. "Your shirt…it's completely soaked…"

"Clothes can be changed and dried." The butler assured her, hardly even bothered by the noticeable wet spot covering the majority of his chest. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I know you try to avoid sleep as much as possible but our items can only guard against physical exhaustion. If you are to be serving Lord Ainz, I did not want your performance hindered by mental fatigue. It is the same reason we did not continue your training through the night."

It was so small but Tuare gave a soft, sincere smile at his words. Just off in the room's corner was the simple wooden chair he'd been sitting in before, watching her while she slept. The only reason she'd been able to sleep at all was because of his presence. Trying to treat her like any other maid but still making special exceptions for her like that… Sebas had nothing to apologize for in her eyes.

Though her throat still hurt greatly from all her crying, Tuare managed to push her words out. "How…(COUGH!)… How long until my shift begins?"

Sebas pulled out his pocket watch, its golden chain alone seeming like it was worth more money than Tuare's family had owned in their entire history. "Lord Ainz is not expecting us for another four hours. Terrible as it'd be to be late, it would be just as bad to bother him at such an early hour."

That wasn't quite why Tuare had asked, but she was not going to correct him. Quite honestly she wanted to push it off for as long as possible but obviously could never get away with saying such a thing.

Her mind felt like it was split in two. One part trying desperately to get away from her nightmares, the constant reminders of a past she'd rather forget, and the other dreading what was to come. Her stomach hurt, feeling like it was being twisted around by some kind of very cruel gremlin.

Her hands gripped her sheets until her knuckles turned white, as she looked around her room.

This very well could be the last night she'd ever spend here.

From out of his pocket, Sebas drew out his handkerchief, moving to wipe Tuare's face. However, to his surprise, she politely refused him, opening the drawer by her bedside and pulling out her own.

"You still have it?" Sebas remarked, recognizing the cloth as the one he'd given her when he and Solution first took her in.

Tuare nodded, looking at the handkerchief with such a gentle smile, the warm memory helping to disperse some of the dread crowding her mind. "It was the first thing I'd ever been given. The first thing that was ever just for me to use."

Just looking at it, Sebas could tell Tuare kept it very clean, likely washing it regularly. In fact, given how much she hesitated to use it to even dab away the remaining tears on her face right now, he could infer she tried to keep it from getting as dirty as possible. A bit odd, the butler thought, given what its purpose was. But it was Tuare's, so he supposed she could do whatever she wanted with it.

Putting away both his handkerchief and watch, Sebas stayed seated. "You don't have to go back to sleep. Just rest for now. I'll let you know when it's time to eat and get dressed for your duties."

Tuare nodded in understanding, doubting she even could sleep anymore. Biting her lip as she built up her courage, Tuare leaned forward. When Sebas did not move, thus giving her his silent permission, Tuare carefully placed her head down in his lap.

After a few seconds, Tuare's body melted into relaxation as Sebas gently stroked her head, soothing her. With her cheek pressed against his thigh, Tuare slowly closed her eyes as she felt his fingers through her hair. She was certain she must have looked like such a child to him right now, not how she'd want the man she was so smitten with to see her. But for right now, this was what she needed. Just like back in the mansion, Sebas was her safe place away from the rest of the world.

* * *

Tuare could feel the other maids glaring daggers into her back as Sebas lead the way to their master's quarters. She'd never been this deep into the 9th floor before. It felt as though she was stepping into sacred ground, in that the other maids made her feel like she was defiling it with her very presence.

Whether Sebas noticed the maids or even cared, his stride showed no difference, walking at a swift, elegant pace until finally the two had arrived at their destination. The two grand wooden doors before the two completely dwarfed them. Tuare could stand atop the butler's shoulders and still not reach the top.

Sebas's knuckles politely knocked on the door. "Lord Ainz."

"Enter." His master's deep voice called from within.

With dignified haste, Sebas opened the doors and allowed Tuare to enter first before him. To her little surprise and much to her intimidation, the dwelling of Ainz Ooal Gown was as grand and pristine as the rest of the 9th and 10th floors, if not more so. She doubted King Ramposa or even Emperor Jircniv had rooms in their castles that were this impressive, though not that she'd know from any experience.

The presence of Sebas in her peripherals helped keep Tuare's mind from wandering, following his lead as he tilted his back forward to bow. "I have brought Tuare, as you requested, my lord."

The desk the master of the Great Tomb sat behind was beautifully crafted, more than anything Tuare had seen in any of the few noble houses she'd been…lent to. He truly was a man who liked to surround himself with the best of everything. Case in point, the woman whom stood next to him.

"I see. Right on time." Albedo spoke, a soft smile on her face as her eyes studied the two of them. Turning back to Ainz, she asked "Is there anything further you require, my lord?"

"No, no. You've been an invaluable help already. Thank you, Albedo." Ainz told her. Across his desk were numerous documents in a language not of Re-Estize. Part of her training under Yuri was learning the writing used Nazarick, so if Tuare was closer she might be able to decipher some of it. Though even if she was, it was in her best interest not to risk overstepping her bounds. One of the papers looked like the layout of a city, so whatever it was, the two were planning something big.

"I am unworthy of such praise." Albedo bowed, speaking with the same modesty as all servants of Ainz would. "Well then, I shall be off. Of course, if you need me for anything, no matter how small or sudden or…_urgent the need_… just send the word and I shall come rushing to your side."

It was an incredibly familiar way Albedo placed her hand on his shoulder, making Tuare wonder if perhaps their relationship ran quite a bit deeper than just master and servant.

"Uh…r-right. I'll have a [Message] spell waiting should anything come up." Ainz told her, his head tilted away at an awkward angle, like he was trying to avoid looking down her dress while she was bent over.

With that, Albedo came from around the desk and headed towards the door, she and Sebas giving each other the proper respectful bows for those in the same work.

Tuare, however, held her breath and didn't dare move a muscle as Albedo passed her. She was straight and thus had never been that particularly attracted to other women, but even she couldn't help but be in awe of how divinely gorgeous the demoness in white was. That said, of all those in the Great Tomb she'd met, Albedo was one of the ones who made Tuare feel the most uneasy. She couldn't say why that was. Albedo had never treated her with any more hostility than anyone else in the tomb and in fact had probably never even said more than five words to her in total. But there was just something sinister hidden behind that smile that made Tuare terrified of the thought of ever being alone with her.

As Albedo exited, there came a long stretch of silence that followed, like no one was sure who was supposed to speak or move first.

"…Sebas. Not to be rude, but you do have your own duties to attend to, yes?" Ainz finally asked.

"Oh! Uh. Y-yes. Yes, my lord." Sebas answered him, working to recompose himself. He couldn't understand why he was so on edge. Lord Ainz was a great man. The greatest he knew, in fact, and he'd never known him to be unnecessarily cruel. And while he still had misgivings, he did believe Tuare would be able to perform any given maid duty at least adequately, especially with the item to protect against fatigue she'd been loaned. So why was his stomach in so many knots? Sebas prayed that this was just some new aspect of himself his creator had given him that he was discovering for the first time. Awful as it might feel, at least in that case he'd know nothing was wrong with him.

Bowing for a final time to his master, Sebas turned and made the deliberate decision not to look back as he exited the chamber. He could not hold Tuare's hand any more. Whatever happens next would be what happens, such is the will of the Supreme One.

Watching until the end as Sebas disappeared behind the closing twin doors, Tuare found herself all alone with Ainz Ooal Gown.

"My apologies for not addressing you directly before, Tuare." The maid immediately turned and snapped to attention at his voice. "I take it you are well rested?"

"Y-yes, Lord Ainz!" Tuare stuttered, a bit louder than she meant to but Ainz didn't comment on it. "I am rested and ready for whatever tasks you wish for me to accomplish."

"Glad to hear it. Thankfully today shouldn't be anything too stressful. Just some light dusting and polishing of my quarters to start with. I'll mostly be doing paperwork, so I shouldn't need your immediate help with anything yet."

"I see. Then I shall get started right away." She bowed, pulling a small feather duster out of her uniform, hesitating only for a moment over where to start first, before eventually choosing the lamp fixture closest to the door (and the furthest from Ainz).

_"Alright…this just might work."_ Ainz cautiously commented to himself. Just that small act alone showed a huge difference between Tuare and the Homunculus Maids, whom would generally jump at the chance to anywhere near him. _"I'm hoping it's not because of my face. I'm not trying to scare the poor girl, just have a few hours without a pair of eyes glued to my every action."_

The huge pile of piles littering Ainz desk brought back some bad memories of the late nights he'd be forced to spend at the office back when he was human. His happiness was tempered by the fact he wasn't exactly getting a day off here. It'd be more accurate to make the comparison he finally had a without endless, mandatory meetings or employee evaluations and could finally get some real work done. It was relative, which at the moment was good enough for him.

* * *

Sebas and Albedo took the same route through the halls of the 9th floor. He was curious why she wasn't using the ring she cherished so much to teleport to wherever she needed in Nazarick, but he was soon given his answer.

"Don't you all have work to be doing?" Albedo said as soon as they came across the group, so unsurprised to see such a mob she must have predicted this would happen a while ago.

A small cluster of the Homunculus Maids were taking up a good width of the hallway, along with, to Sebas's interest, CZ Delta and Narberal Gamma of the Pleiades. The only one out of place in such a group was Mare, though given the documents in his hand and his position far in the back, it seemed the dark elf was here on actual business and just happened upon the gathering. The rest of them? It didn't take a Guardian with the intelligence of Demiurge to figure out they'd been headed for Lord Ainz chambers.

"Please…have we done something to offend Lord Ainz?!" Cixous finally spoke up, her voice giving a small crack in her desperation to know. "For him to prefer to have a human serving him in our place… Lady Albedo, Lord Sebas, please, if we have done something wrong, we need to know so we can make it right!"

The other non-combat maids alongside her gave frantic nods that they all felt the same way, their eyes becoming wet in their worry.

"Lord Ainz said he choose today specifically because no maid had been scheduled to serve him directly." Sebas reminded them. "Tuare's position is not intended to serve as punishment for any of the maids. Lumière, he explained such to both you and Pestonya personally. Do you doubt Lord Ainz's word?"

The maid in question shook her head fiercely at such a question. "NO! No, of course not! I know Lord Ainz's wisdom and reasonings are beyond beings so lowly as us. I would never attempt to second-guess his decisions. It's just…if we've done something wrong… I was the maid serving him when he announced his idea, so I could have been the one who did something that damaged Lord Ainz's faith in us! If that is the case, I need to make recompence, even if it's with my life! Please, let us through to go speak with him!"

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves." Albedo snapped harshly at the group, getting an instant reaction from their fearfully stiffening backs. "Attempting to waste Lord Ainz's valuable time with such trivial matters. If he is punishing you then you should accept it with grace and be thankful for your master's kindness that he is not being far more severe. A hundred years in Neuronist's torture chambers could not begin to make up for failing in your duties to the Supreme One, though banishment may come close."

While he would not have used the b-word, the worst possible punishment for those whom worked in the Great Tomb (even now he could see the maids barely holding back tears at the very thought of it happening to them), Sebas was still in agreement with Albedo. It was disgraceful how they were acting. Though Albedo's own behavior struck him as odd. Normally she'd be the first to bear her fangs at any woman whom came too close to Lord Ainz, even the maids, and her distaste for humans was well-known. So what made Tuare so different that Albedo was able to keep herself so calm?

"You both especially." Albedo then singled out CZ and Narberal. "As members of the Pleiades you are expected to hold yourselves to a far higher standard than any mere maid, not to engage in anything so petty and bothersome to Lord Ainz."

Despite their shame, neither's face changed that much, though that couldn't be helped, given their respective species. "You have my deepest of apologies, Lady Albedo." Narberal bowed to her superior. "It's just…as Nabe, partner of Momon, I've had to watch so often as Lord Ainz is constantly swarmed and annoyed by the gnats that call themselves humans, unable to swat them away due to needing to keep up the image he wishes to create around his persona. I did not wish to see him burdened by another insignificant lifeform within his own home as well."

The Homunculus Maids gave small nods to show they felt the same way, though CZ noticeably still said nothing. Given Sebas had never known her to have strong feelings one way or another about humans, he privately wondered if she was only here simply because she'd randomly decided to follow Narberal. Even to him the Automaton could be hard to read sometimes.

Allowing her anger to slide away into the air of the hallway as she collected herself, the pleasantness returned to Albedo's smile. "Now then; Mare, I believe you are here on _actual _work-related matters?"

"Um…y-yeah." The eternally timid elf boy stepped forward, his long ears hanging down by his shoulders. "Cocytus asked me to d-deliver this for him, since I helped him with some of the land work in the Lizardmen villages." He explained, handing over the document in his hands.

"Excellent. I'll be certain that Lord Ainz receives it immediately." Albedo thanked him as she took it.

"A-ac-actually…the report is addressed to you, Albedo."

"…Oh." She said, her cheerier mood dropping, unable to stop her noticeable disappointment from slipping through, betraying at least some of the overseer's hypocrisy. Despite what she'd said, she'd also been looking for any excuse to dash right back to Ainz's quarters. Still, to her credit, it was only a slipup and she was quick to resume her professional presence.

"…I can certainly understand your feelings, Narberal Gamma." Albedo then said, readdressing the combat maid, whom stood at full respectful attention to her superior. "I felt the same way when accompanying Lord Ainz to Carne Village for the first time. Those two girls acting so ungratefully after he'd taken the time out of his day to save their worthless lives." The papers in the demoness' hand crinkled as her grip tightened in her anger at the memory. However, her smile was soon to return, and there was something deeply twisted about it this time. "That said, I doubt that human will be any sort of problem for Lord Ainz. Tuare knows full well she's only here thanks to his generosity. She's in the center of the beehive. The moment he tires of her, she knows the swarm that will descend upon her and remove her from his very sight. She'll dance whichever way he desires, like a puppet horribly aware of the strings pulling it."

While those words seemed to offer the maids at least a little bit of comfort, Sebas had to suppress the ugly scowl welling up from within him. _"So that's what it is."_ He thought bitterly to himself. It was precisely _because_ Tuare was human that Albedo saw her as no threat in the competition for Lord Ainz's heart.

"You believe Lord Ainz requested Tuare just to toy with her?" He asked respectfully, still knowing his place enough to mask his welling anger underneath.

"Not specifically. I would never assume to ever fully understand my beloved's intentions all on my own." Albedo gave a humble shake of her head. "I am merely making the observation that if the girl knows what's good for her, she will not give Lord Ainz any trouble. I doubt you would have gone out of your way to save an idiot, Sebas."

Backhanded as the comment was, Sebas had difficulty finding anything in Albedo's words to argue against and as such held his silence. The Lord Ainz she described was not the kind Sebas knew, but if such things were what he decided to do, what place of it was Sebas's to question it?

"Still…we live to serve the Supreme One." Cixous said, speaking up for her fellow maids again. "However small or insignificant, I'm still certain we could perform any task he'd need done, far better than that human can, even if it's just mere entertainment. Her main skill is cooking, yes? Lord Ainz does not need to eat! What else does she have left to service him with?"

"Perhaps he's keeping in mind her background?" Fifth threw out as an honest thought, thinking about what she knew about Tuare. "The human used to work at a brothel, yes? Sex workers do pick up a few things on the job from what I've heard. Maybe Lord Ainz wishes to see if she can service him all in that way."

"Hold your tongue." Sebas ordered, not raising his voice by much but still carrying such an underlying rage to it. It wasn't like the growl of a dog but rather that of a dragon, causing all the maids, even the ones whom hadn't said anything, to quickly bow in fearful apology. Sebas would not have said anything if it was one of the Guardians but he would not allow such talk from his own subordinates. "I helped dismantle the brothel you're speaking of. What I saw there truly disgusted me. Women half dead and certainly not in any condition to "pick up a few things", as you called it." He could almost feel the phantom pressure of Tuare sobbing against his chest, adding the many things about the maid's words that had angered him. "And patrons who almost seemed to pride themselves on the fact that they were so unworthy of living. I will most certainly not allow you to slander Lord Ainz by comparing him in any way to that sort of scum."

He felt a little guilty snapping at them so suddenly. Fifth was not speaking out of malice, just simple ignorance. Still, such an insult to both his ward and his master in the same sentence was more than he could take at that moment.

"I'm actually quite in agreement with you, Sebas." Albedo nodded. "Lord Ainz would never lower himself to such a level as those human nobles. Certainly not when anyone within Nazarick would give themselves freely to him should he just say the word. There'd be little need to involve the human in any such way."

Having been silent this entire time, simply waiting patiently to be dismissed so that he could go take a nap, Mare recalled something that'd been sitting in the back of his mind for a while now.

"I…I think Pulcinella mentioned something about Demiurge doing breeding experiments between humans and demi-humans. I think he started it shortly after Tuare came to the tomb, so maybe that's why Lord A-Ainz called on her? If Demiurge was acting on his orders, maybe Lord Ainz wants to know if the results can be done with heteromorphs too?"

"Breeding experiments? This is the first I've heard of such a thing." Sebas remarked. He did not believe Mare was being dishonest, not at all. It was simply that, as far as he was aware, Demiurge only had humans being put to work on his…farm, as he and Lord Ainz called it. He had no idea what that Arch-Devil would even want with any hybrid species, and Lord Ainz had plenty of tireless undead serving him already, so what would he gain from such unions that he didn't already have?

Everyone then felt like the temperature in the hallway had dropped by substantial degrees. The air was becoming tainted by something thick and suffocating, like all their throat were being closed by a pair of invisible hands.

"Mare…dear…"

Albedo spoke slowly as her body twitchily turned to him. There was still a smile across her face but it was barely containing whatever lay behind it, the edge of her lips quivering as her pumping veins could almost be seen through her face. Of all those in the present group, only Narberal had felt such intense bloodlust radiating off the overseer before, and despite her usual calmness, the combat maid did nearly take a step back in fear, remembering that last time it had been directed at her.

"I'm certain you must be misunderstanding Demiurge's intentions with such a project." Albedo's sweet and elegant speech was completely at odds with the way she looked now. It was like her true form was ready to burst its way through her skin at any moment. "The first-born child of Lord Momong-…of Lord Ainz, to be the product of union with a human, it is simply such a silly impossibility, not even worth taking the time to think about. Wouldn't you agree?"

No one present dared to point out that Mare had never actually said anything about Ainz himself trying to breed with a human. He probably would have used a Death Knight. Albedo seemed to have herself under control enough for now, but one wrong word…

Perhaps it was because of Mare's young age, at least young relative to the lifespans of Dark Elves, that he seemed at least partially oblivious to the storm brewing beneath Albedo's features and the reasons behind it. "Uh…y-yeah…okay." He nodded his head to agree with her, more out of simply not wanting to be there anymore than any true fear of the succubus's wrath, though not that he'd be the one to receive it anyway were she to be set off. Albedo's complete denial was what helped Sebas breathe much easier for Tuare's safety.


	3. Service

**Part 3: Service**

There wasn't even a clock in his chambers and yet Ainz felt like he could hear the endless ticking of each second in the dead-silent room.

_"I didn't think this through enough…"_ He thought to himself with a mental sob.

Tuare had long since finished with her dusting. In fact, she'd run the gauntlet of dusting, polishing, sweeping, bed-making. Everything any Homunculus Maid serving him for the day would do. It'd taken her a bit longer to get it all done then they would have, but that was in its own way still impressive, given such tasks were literally what they'd been created to do.

And like the maids, with all the daily work completely, Tuare stood off to Ainz's side, patiently awaiting further orders.

Well…patiently might not be quite the right word to use.

Ainz did not have the same constant feeling off eyes on the back of his neck like with Lumière or the other NPCs. If there ever was a small tickle it vanished nearly as soon as it came and the overlord was eventually able to pick up on why that was.

Occasionally Tuare snuck a glance, but otherwise she had her eyes firmly kept down at her feet, not daring to look, speak, or even move in a way that might displease the master of the Great Tomb. And that in its own way was causing him a great deal of stress.

_ "What was I thinking?!"_ Ainz resisted the urge to clutch his skull as he inwardly berated himself. _"If you think of Nazarick like a company, Tuare is basically a newly hired intern who just got tasked with personally assisting the CEO. Of course she's terrified of screwing up! One word from me and she's just gone. That's not even taking into account that I'm an undead, a species that's well-known to have an intense hatred for the living in this world. Look at her! She's shaking! She looks like she might pass out at any minute!"_

Technically, yes, Ainz had gotten what he wanted. Tuare wasn't looking upon every little shift he made in his chair with mesmerized awe. But now he was feeling pressure of a different kind, and ironically it came from the feeling that he was unintentionally putting so much pressure on her.

_"I was too distracted before to work because I was so aware I was being watched and now I'm too distracted to work because I'm so aware of how much I'm freaking her out!"_

This was so different from the NPCs that he didn't know how to handle it. On a reflex, Ainz's thoughts went flying through every bit he could remember of the management and motivational books he'd been reading since becoming his character.

"_What would a real boss do? Hmm… I'm sure most CEOs don't have the time to personally take care of every employee. That's why they delegate and have layers of management. I suppose I could just try to ignore her for now, or maybe call Sebas in to take some of the pressure off her… No. No, I can't do that. Bringing someone else in would be like sending out a signal that I didn't think Tuare was capable of doing her job and would only make her more afraid of being fired. Besides, a good boss is supposed to be a positive image for all his employees, not just the ones closest to his level."_ The image of Herohero flashed through his mind, even the in-game slime avatar looking just as overworked as the man behind it. This further fueled Ainz determination. _"If I want Nazarick to be a model company that treats its employees right, I need to see to it that even the lowest workers feel comfortable around me. But how should I go about doing that in this case?"_

He flipped through every last bit of practice he'd done in his room; every last rehearsal he'd come up with for how he thought a ruler would act and every last plan he'd thought up for buying time for himself. Then, like a lightbulb within his hollow skull, an idea mercifully revealed itself.

"Tuare. Might I have your assistance with something?" He called her over.

"Ah! Y-yes! Yes, of course, my lord." The maid stumbled over her words, quickly stepping forward.

"Well, actually, I suppose I should first ask; how well are you able to read? The language of the humans, I mean."

At that question some of the color drained from Tuare's face. "Not…not very, my lord." She admitted, hands nervously clutching the skirt of her uniform until she remembered her training and forced herself to stop. "I-I came from a poor farming village, you see. We didn't have the money or resources for proper education so I…I only know a few words and phrases."

"Hrm, I see. Well, there goes that idea." Ainz said, supposing it did make sense. The early pages in her sister's journal had been practically illegible in spots, like a child whom only barely just learned the alphabet. It would come as little surprise to him if the bulk of Ninya's basic education came from her time as part of the Swords of Darkness.

Tuare's knees went weak at the disappointment in the Overlord's voice. "P-please forgive me, my lord!" She bowed as deep as she could to him.

"Tuare, it's fine. I'm not going to reprimand you over something so minor, especially something it's doubtful you could have had any control over." Ainz motioned for her to stand back up with his hand. "Now, if it were your education since coming to Nazarick, then perhaps we'd have more of an issue, but thus far I've heard no complaints about your progress." He made sure to tack on that last part to keep from sounding too lax. Ainz liked to believe he projected an image of fearsome but fair to his subordinates. As odd as it felt for the former salaryman to criticize any of the NPCs whom likely were far more competent than him in general, he had to show some level of toughness in order to keep their confidence in him.

"I…I have been studying hard the Great Tomb's language, my lord." Tuare said timidly, in the vain hope of saving some face. "I…I-I believe I can read anything in that you were to give me."

"I'm not surprised. Yuri Alpha is an excellent teacher. It's my understanding she's even made great progress teaching Hamsuke how to read."

"Hamsuke, my lord?"

"Um…one of the non-humans from the outside world we've added to our ranks." Ainz explained after finding the right words, feeling it might be a tad insulting to compare Tuare's education with that of a hamster's. Then again, given the Swords of Darkness and even Narberal's reactions of calling Hamsuke a noble beast with great wisdom behind her eyes, perhaps she'd take it as a compliment? Something to test out another day. "Anyway…this is the main reason I was asking about your ability to read the language of the humans." He said, quickly changing the subject as he reached into his items, to Tuare looking like his hand was just disappearing into the air itself. Seconds later and he pulled out a pair of thin, silver-framed glasses.

"Those…those look like the glasses Lord Sebas would use." Tuare spoke upon remembering them across the butler's eyes when reading something back at the mansion in the Royal Capital.

"Very perceptive, Tuare. These are indeed the same pair. I loan them to Sebas whenever I feel his work in the outside world may require them, and when he returns he relinquishes them back to me." Ainz explained, the glasses looking so much more fragile and small in his large boney hands than Sebas's. "They act as a translation device between the language of Nazarick and any foreign language. A very unique magical item, to be sure, and one that we've yet to experience any problems with. However, translation errors could still pop up depending on if it's direct or adapted. Comparing notes with a native whom grew up knowing the language would be an excellent way of determining accuracy."

Apparently it was only obvious to Ainz that the translation test was just busywork to help make Tuare feel more at ease and useful. He could practically see the nerves flying off her body with each tremble from how tightly they were wound up. All he'd succeeded in doing was making her feel even more afraid of him.

_"Alright. Direct approach then." _Ainz thought to himself since that plan had completely backfired. "Tuare, I'm not going to hurt you. I gave my word, nay, I stuck my name on it that I would keep you safe. My worth as a ruler would drop considerably if I went back on that to just torment you, even in private."

"I'm sorry, my lord. I did not mean to offend you." Tuare quickly apologized again, the fear behind her eyes telling Ainz that a few words were unlikely to convince her of that.

_"Dammit! Why can't anyone just accept praise or reassurance in this world?!" _Ainz groaned inside his head, being reminded of how often the NPCs claimed they were unworthy of every reward he tried to give them and how disturbingly often they'd ask to be inflicted with the harshest punishments to make up for even the most minor of inconveniences they caused him.

"I'm not offended." Ainz told her. "If anything, I suppose your fear is only natural. Your first impression of me was ordering you to be killed, after all."

"I-I understand why you did it, my lord. You wanted to make sure that…that I hadn't done anything to Lord Sebas. That he was still loyal to you."

"I am happy you see it that way. There's no pride to be had in being needlessly bloodthirsty."

Then, a new idea came to Ainz's mind, inspiring him to take a different approach in getting her open up to him.

"Though I must say, the courage you showed back then is quite different from what I see now. I was told-I mean-I-I saw what happened. Ahem." Ainz coughed into his fist, despite having no lungs. Thankfully the maid didn't seem to question it. "When I ordered Sebas to kill you, you offered no resistance. You did not attempt to run away, beg, or even cry. You offered up your life willingly to your certain death. Why was that?"

Tuare didn't know why he was asking such a thing. It was another of the many moments of her life she tried not to think about. But she gave him her honest answer.

"Lord Sebas…he's the reason I now have a life that's worth living." She said, Ainz noticing the likely unconscious soft smile she was giving at the memory of him. "Where I was before, I wanted to die every single day. Sometimes begging for it was the only way I could sleep at night. Then Lord Sebas found me and suddenly…I felt happy. I felt safe. I felt like I was…alive again, for the first time since I was a child. And after he'd given me all that, even for just a few days…if killing me meant that he wouldn't be in trouble with you…if my life was what I could use to repay him for all he'd done for me…then it's his. All of it."

Ainz was quiet for a few moments, absorbing everything she'd said as he stroked his bare bone chin. Soon after, he leaned back in his chair.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Tuare blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar quote. Though it could not be apparent due to his fleshless skull, that small bit of interest from the girl did cause Ainz to smile.

"Tuare, feed my curiosity for a moment, and please, don't feel afraid about not being able to give much of answer. Tell me, how much do you know about Nazarick itself?"

Ainz could see the tense girl's eyes shift off to the side, trying to quickly recall every little detail that she'd picked up on during her time here. "Th-the Great Tomb of Nazarick was created by the forty-one Supreme Beings, which y-you, Lord Ainz, were the leader of. The tomb has ten levels total, each one protected by a Guardian."

"I see. Anything else?"

Tuare's hand was clutching the side of her uniform for emotional support. Even if she did know anything else, despite his words she probably still would be scared of getting anything wrong and unintentionally insulting him. "…I'm afraid not, my lord. My training consisted of mostly just my maid duties. When it comes to the Great Tomb itself…I know where I am forbidden to go and what I am forbidden to touch. I didn't want to make any trouble for Lord Sebas so I haven't been beyond the 9th floor and I didn't want to bother the other maids with too many questions."

"That's fair, I suppose. It's not like I brought you in to make you the tomb's historian."

With that, Ainz rose up from his desk, the sudden start making Tuare feel the instinct to run away, but she remembered everything Sebas and Yuri had drilled into her and stayed standing where she was, at her master's service.

Walking around the desk, Ainz stood roughly in the rooms center. He then turned and made a motion with his finger for her to come forward. Scared as she was, Tuare did as she was told, moving forward to stand by his side.

With a light clap of his palms together, Ainz threw his hands out dramatically and Tuare nearly fell over in surprise, as right before the both of them they were surrounded on all sides by seemingly endless red flags, each one bearing a different crest as they lazily drifted through the air.

It was an incredibly basic illusion spell, so much more simple than the kind Ainz would use to fake the "true" face of Momon and costing a barely noticeable amount of MP. Back in YGGDRASIL, typically it was used to fake item drops and lure unsuspecting players into traps. But the spell became less popular over time as players learned basic appraisal magics and could easily spot the difference between an actual item and an illusion. In this case though, it suited Ainz's purposes just fine. No one was going to look at these flags and think they were actually there, not even someone as inexperienced in magic as Tuare. Ainz simply figured this would be less problematic than teleporting them both to the throne room, where the real flags hung from the walls.

"Do you see that flag there?" Ainz directed Tuare's attention forward, pointing at the flag whose Rorschach crest resembled an octopus. "It belonged to Tabula Smaragdina." He pointed to their left. "There, that flag was Nishikienrai's." Like a stream of consciousness, Ainz named each flag as his finger landed on it randomly. "Peroroncino. Takemikazuchi. Bukubukuchagama. Touch Me. Blue Planet. Herohero. Ulbert Alain Odle. I don't suppose these names mean anything to you, do they Tuare? Perhaps heard in passing gossip or even some old children's story?"

Tuare shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, my lord. I'm not familiar with any of them."

"Hrm. I didn't think they would, but it was worth a try." Ainz said, disappointed in spite of himself. With the information networks Demiurge had set-up it was very doubtful that someone of Tuare's low-class in the human world would ever have heard something their net hadn't already picked up on. But he was nothing if not hopeful. "These names and more, they are the names of the forty-one Supreme Beings of Nazarick. The forty-one members of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. Look, there's even my own former flag in the mix." He said, pointing at the Rorschach that most resembled his own skull. He had to mentally restrain himself from listing off every single one of the flags, as it was something that'd be so easy for him to slip into.

"Ainz Ooal Gown… Like your name, my lord?"

"Indeed. But please, do not get the wrong impression of me or my ego. I did not name the guild after myself. Rather, I named myself after it."

Seeing the look of confusion, but to his delight also curiosity on the maid's face, Ainz went on. "For each their own reasons, my comrades had to leave the guild we created behind. One by one, until I was the only one of the forty-one left. Now, the world is so different from what we knew. Are my friends still out there? Are they as lost as we were? …I don't know… But if they are, then I'm flying the flag that calls them home. The further my name travels, the more likely it is that maybe at least one of my comrades will hear the name that had so much significance to us all and seek us out."

He doubted Tuare was keeping track of how many flags were floating around them. She was likely just taking his word for it that there were forty-one, but in truth there were actually forty-two. The flag of the guild itself, of Ainz Ooal Gown, was in the mix as well. It was funny to him, that even after all this time going by that name, Ainz still couldn't think of that symbol as his.

"Tuare, do you know why those of Nazarick call us the Supreme Beings?" He asked the maid.

"B-because of your great power, my lord." Tuare answered quickly, having at least a little confidence that she was right on that. "The o-other maids talk about it all the time. There's no one in the kingdom or the empire who has a chance of defeating you. They said you even ended the a-annual war with just one spell."

"Heh. Gossip travels quickly, even underground I see." Ainz commented in amusement, privately wondering to himself which of the Guardians the maids had heard the tale of his exploit from first. Mare was the one who'd been there with him but he was such a shy boy, so that left Ainz with some doubts it was him. "I suppose you are partially right, in regards to our physical power. However, anyone can destroy. But to create, and to create something as grand as all that is Nazarick and everything and everyone within it, therein lies true power worth being proud of."

Tuare felt her body tremble again, though even she wasn't sure if it was from intimidation or disbelief. "You said…everyone in Nazarick, my lord…?"

"You catch on quickly." Ainz nodded as he turned to her, the many flags finally fading away as the illusion spell hit its limit for the little amount of MP he'd spent on it. "Indeed, Tuare. Outside of you, me, and Hamsuke, each resident whom exists as a member of the Great Tomb was created by a specific Supreme Being, with your fellow maids being an exception, all of them created in a joint effort between Whitebrim, Herohero, and Coup De Grace." He didn't mention other outliers like the elf twins, Gargantuan, or the undead summoned through spells, as there was no need to dump too much on her right away. The girl looked like she was being overwhelmed enough already by this worldview-altering information.

Her mind was flying through the images of every face she'd seen since Sebas had saved her. Miss Pestonya, Miss Yuri, Sebas' maid Solution, Lady Albedo. Even Sebas himself, she realized with a gulp…they'd all been created…just brought into existence…by beings just like the undead standing before her, who talked about it like it was nothing. The room felt like it was spinning around her. Only the gods could have such power. And given the way everyone talked about him, did that mean Lord Ainz actually was…was…!

Ainz placed his hand on Tuare's shoulder and the human instantly froze as she crashed back to her senses. Her heart felt like it'd stopped beating altogether within her chest and any instinctive scream her body wanted to let out became lodged in her throat and quickly died; too afraid to make even a single sound.

As he realized the state he'd just put her in, Ainz promptly withdrew his hand. "My apologies, Tuare. It looked like you were about to fall over."

The ability to take in air returned to Tuare's lungs, though her breath remained incredibly shaky. "Th-tha-thank y-you, Lord A-Ainz. I...I am s-sorry for concerning you." She said, her hand buried in her pocket as it clutched the handkerchief Sebas had given her like a security blanket.

Seeing that he'd clearly freaked her out to nearly a breaking point, Ainz took a casual step away to give her some space as he continued talking. "It is my job as the ruler of Nazarick to show concern for my subordinates. Like I said, we Supreme Beings created all the NPC-…er…all the residents of Nazarick. In many ways, that makes them the children of my beloved comrades. As such, until their creators return, it is my responsibility to make certain they are taken care of."

A significant question floated through Tuare's mind. It was one she knew she probably shouldn't ask, but after everything that had happened, curiosity took the better of her. Taking in a gulp of air to build up her courage, Tuare spoke. "Forgive me for asking such a personal question, my lord, but…a-are you the Supreme Being whom created Lord Sebas?"

Completely unsurprised she'd ask such a question, given her clear attachment to the butler, Ainz chuckled fondly. "Hahaha. No, no. I'm afraid that honor belongs to my dear friend Touch Me."

"Touch…Me?" Tuare repeated, having missed the name the first time amongst the all the others Ainz had thrown out at her.

"An…unusual name, I know, for someone of your world. But let me assure you, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more noble man than Touch Me. An undefeatable warrior with a firm sense of justice. Quite frankly, I often see a lot of him in Sebas." That comment certainly gained Tuare's attention, which Ainz smiled at. "He's inherited Touch Me's strong sense of justice and deep desire to help those in need. Your presence here alone is proof enough of that. From what I've observed, many of our residents here take traits after the one whom created them."

His thoughts then drifted to Pandora's Actor, using his doppelganger abilities to disguise himself as Momon, doing his many salutes and grand gestures within that black armor as the two of them rehearsed their lines for their staged confrontation in E-Rantel.

Ainz felt his mind go from chaos to clarity, a classic sign that his undead nature had just suppressed a massive swell of emotion.

"B-But…there are exceptions, of course." Ainz tacked on with a silent prayer, still shaking from the lingering embarrassment.

Tuare didn't seem to notice, much to Ainz thankfulness. She seemed much more distracted trying to imagine Touch Me, if Ainz had to guess. He had a feeling his comment about Sebas inheriting from him was causing the maid to imagine something akin to an older version of the butler. Given Touch Me's avatar was of the Insect Heteromorph race, his face closer to Cocytus and Entoma's than anything more human-looking, that was very far from the truth and Ainz felt bad that he might have to burst that image for her. That said, Touch Me had claimed that Sebas's design was based directly off how he looked in real life, though he remembered many of the guild members had doubts about that or at least felt it was a great exaggeration, simply because of how good-looking Sebas was.

For a moment, Ainz was silent. The idea he had…he probably shouldn't. But…

"…[Perfect Warrior]!"

Within a blink and the sight before the startled Tuare was completely different. Gone was the skeleton in the black sorcerer's robes, in his place a knight with the most beautiful white armor the maid had ever seen. The sapphire in its chest piece shone like it had the light of the divine itself radiating through it. A helmet hid the knight's face but Tuare felt not a trace of hostility coming off the calming mask. Along with the red cape draping over his shoulder, the knight looked as though he'd leapt straight from the pages of a fairy tale.

"He looked something like this." Tuare heard Ainz's voice echo from behind the helmet, confirming it was indeed still him in the armor. "Frankly, I don't think Touch Me's armor looks as good on me as it did him, but I suppose that's because I lack the muscles to fill it out properly."

Ainz laughed lightly at his own joke, prompting Tuare to do the same, though noticeably with more awkwardness. At the very least she seemed a little less shaky. He'd spent so long with it that Ainz often forgot how unnerving his face could be to a real human.

Ainz held up his arm to show off the armor's shine. "This armor is actually proof of how great a warrior Touch Me was. It's the armor of a World Champion, of which there have only ever existed nine, and even amongst the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, Touch Me was the only one of us to hold such a title, fighting his way through the grand tournament against every other being whom wished to claim it for themselves. It is the kind of class which possesses an extremely high fighting ability. They could defend themselves absolutely with [Dimensional Gap] while dealing massive damage with [Dimensional Slash]. Even fighting completely on his own Touch Me proved he could handle himself against at least 6 members of Ainz Ooal Gown at once. He and I sparred quite often and I never once was able to defeat him."

"That…that's incredible…" Tuare said honestly, unable to take her eyes away from the armor. Though she had no magical or combat experience, even she was able to somehow just since how powerful the equipped item was. Like Ainz could take on the charge of the entire kingdom's army and be left with not even a scratch.

Admittedly, it was because everything Ainz was saying was true that he always felt guilty saving this armor in his inventory next to Momon's. True, all his friends, including Touch Me, had left their items to him when they'd left the game, but it still felt wrong to use them, like he was almost stealing from them and profiting off all their hard work. The main reason he had to force himself to keep Touch Me's armor after his battle with Shalltear instead of putting it back in the Mausoleum was that the massive boost in defense could very likely mean the difference between life and death for him in case of an extreme emergency, far more than Peroroncino's bow or Takemikazuchi's sword could with their boosts to his combat power.

"While I was obviously not created by him like Sebas was, it's not much of an exaggeration to say that if it weren't for Touch Me, I wouldn't be here either." Ainz said to Tuare, seeming to become momentarily lost in his own memories while he spoke. "He was the first friend I made back in our old world and the one who encouraged me to keep going forward until we met the other first nine members we'd form the guild's start with. Before Ainz Ooal Gown there was Nine's Own Goal, and neither would have existed without Touch Me."

"He… He really meant a lot to you." Tuare said, in awe that she was hearing such softness in the overlord's voice.

"They all did. The time we all spent together building this place…those truly were the happiest years of my life. It weighs on my heart to think those days are unlikely to ever come again. But so long as I have the Great Tomb, then I suppose in a way I do still have Ainz Ooal Gown."

It took Tuare a second to register that he was referring to the guild, not himself, as she'd only known him before as such.

"Forgive my asking, my lord, but…what is your real name?"

Ainz was quiet for a moment, contemplating how he wanted to answer that question. "…I'm afraid I cannot say." He said, the white armor finally vanishing from around him and returning him to his usual robes.

"I'm-! I'm sorry, my lord! I didn't mean to overstep-!"

"You don't have to keep apologizing for everything, Tuare." Ainz said, making a gentle motion with his hand to ask that she calm herself, the human girl reminding him more and more of the NPCs with every moment. He wondered if Tuare thought he was threatening her when he released [Perfect Warrior] and changed back to a skeleton. "Especially in this case where, if I'm being honest, it's a rather childish reason I don't wish to say. Superstitious, if nothing else." He explained himself. "I changed my name to that of our guild so that the further my name traveled, the greater the chance one of my former comrades would recognize it and seek me out. I have no intention of keeping the name Ainz Ooal Gown for myself. Once I find even just one of my friends, I shall go back to my original name, so that we may be clear equals in our guild once more. To do so before that…it is irrational, I know…but it'd feel like accepting I'll never find them."

It seemed like Ainz was just staring off into the distance, looking at nothing as far as Tuare could tell, and in many ways she was right. The illusion spell had long ended but Ainz still imagined all those flags circling around them, seeing the avatars of each of his friends standing alongside their crests like ghosts.

_"Please, guys…I need to believe you're out there._" Ainz pleaded to the phantasms._ "Creating the Sorcerer Kingdom is the biggest step we've taken yet into this world's spotlight. Please…just one of you has to hear about the new king, Ainz Ooal Gown."_

His mind was always so full of points and counterpoints as to why he should give up such a quest and why he should hope against hope and continue it.

It was a miracle even Herohero had logged on during YGGDRASIL's final few hours. The chances of any of the other members whom had long quit the game deciding to sign back on during the last possible moments before the servers shutdown was practically nonexistent.

Even if someone had logged in right before the servers shut down, everyone in Ainz Ooal Gown was level 100 like him. Surely he would have heard something about another extremely powerful Grotesque running around? Ainz wasn't even certain still how he and the NPCs had come to exist in this new world. For all he knew, it was just some freak one-in-a-million accident that had only happened to him.

Even if someone had logged in right before the servers shut down and if, for some strange reason, they'd been sent somewhere further away than any news of them could reach Ainz's ears, could they even still be alive? Yes, every single being Ainz had encountered so far in this new world had been a non-threat, not even able to lay a scratch on him with their mightiest blows. However, if one thought of this world as one of those old console quest RPGs, Ainz and Nazarick's forces had not ventured far outside of the first area, the place where the player first begins the game, learns how to play, and battles the deliberately low-leveled enemies to build up their first levels. The enemies in this stage could be, say, at max level 5. But say you go to the other side of the planet, where the player's journey would eventually lead them in the story mode, the enemies could be a minimum of level 50. Again, Ainz's comrades were level 100 like him, but unlike him, they'd have no resources at their disposal, not even their equipment as they'd given it all to him. Even a player at max level would have difficulty fighting an enemy at half their level with no weapons. And then having to keep fighting one after another of those same enemies, with no way of replenishing their health or MP… For all Ainz knew, one of his friends could be lying dead somewhere far away in an unmarked grave, finally keeling over after fighting through endless hordes of enemies with nothing but their bare hands.

"Even…" Ainz skull perked up from his thoughts as that small voice cracked. "E-even if it seems hopeless…at least you're trying…" Tuare timidly gave her opinion. "So many people…they'd be scared of what they'd find…or what they wouldn't… So much so that they'd rather just not think about it. But you, Lord Ainz…you're at least trying to find your friends."

After spending so long trying to decipher the meanings behind the words and plans of those like Demiurge (meanings which he was _already_ apparently supposed to be in the know about and in fact three steps ahead on), it didn't take much thought for Ainz to know Tuare was referring to herself.

For a moment, Ainz pondered whether to tell Tuare about Ninya, but he knew he was kidding himself about ever changing his mind on his silence. Nothing could be gained for either of them by telling Tuare about her sister's death, save for the closure that Ainz had killed her murderer. And considering it was still unknown what became of Clementine's body after it was stolen from the morgue, perhaps not even that. No… Better for now to just let Tuare believe her sister was still alive and happy somewhere. To do otherwise would only serve to make her feel worse for no reason.

That logic did make Ainz question for a moment whether the NPCs would ever do the same for him regarding any knowledge they had of his friends, but he quickly dismissed that idea. For one, their loyalty was part of their very being. It was doubtful they could ever lie like that to him, even to try and spare his feelings. Besides that, the only Guardians whom had ventured out further to hear anything Ainz himself wouldn't have immediate access to would be Demiurge and Albedo, whom were the NPCs Ainz felt he could rely on the most. Albedo especially, with her specific request to him to allow her to put together a Secret Unit to search for the other Supreme Beings, it seemed she missed them almost as much as he did and thus it was doubtful she'd keep any news regarding them from him.

"Do you know why I've told you all that I have, Tuareninya?" Ainz asked the girl before him.

Tuare's head poked up, it having been so long since anyone had called her by her full name. The last person whom had was actually probably Ainz too.

"When we first met, I had Cocytus positioned to block your escape, Demiurge at my side, ready to make you submit, and then I ordered Sebas to personally see to your execution. Yet even after all that, though it would mean throwing yourself into our den of monsters, you asked me to allow you to stay by Sebas' side. And when I offered to let you stay as my guest, you requested to be put to work as a mere maid instead. Odd as it may sound for one whom does not eat, I do have respect for those who wish to earn their meals."

"Th-t-thank you, Lord Ainz." Tuare quickly bowed at his praise.

Ainz motioned his hand for her to rise back up. "But you did not make that request merely because you wished to earn your keep, did you?" When Tuare blinked, looking up at him in confusion, Ainz clarified himself. "Am I correct in assuming you have a fear of being abandoned?"

Her eyes went a little wider at her master's words. When they finally settled, Tuare cast them timidly down to the floor, hands still twisting the base of her outfit.

Though their actions were so different, Ainz recalled the memory from within the Mausoleum, Albedo on her knees before him, tears flowing from her eyes as she begged him to promise he'd always be there for Nazarick. That he'd never leave them like the other Supreme Beings had.

"_In that way, she is a lot like the NPCs."_ Ainz remarked to himself. He better than anyone had understood why his friends had all eventually left the game and yet that resentment of being left behind was still in the back of his mind, no matter how irrational he knew it was.

If Tuare couldn't do anything for him or Nazarick, then what would be the point of keeping her around? It was only logical that she'd think that way.

"It is true, there is a clear difference between you and the other maids." Ainz told her. "You were not crafted and brought to life by my comrades and I will not insult you by lying and claiming that makes no difference in my eyes, because it does. That attachment will always be stronger.

"However," He spoke up when Tuare's head was about to go lower. "I stuck my name, the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, on your protection for a reason. Those three small words tie together everything I care about. My guild. My comrades. And their children. It is not a name I will ever stand to see sullied. By the actions of others and most certainly not by my own." He spoke with such strength in his voice. "Tell me, Tuare, is there anything your heart desires so much that you'd be willing to betray Sebas for it?"

"What?! No! Never!" Tuare's response was instant, not even needing a moment to think about it. There was fear in her voice, yes, but not the kind where one believed they'd been caught. Rather the kind that was afraid of someone thinking they'd ever be capable of such a horrible thing.

"Not even the promise to erase your past? The help you forget everything you went through before you and he ever met?"

Tuare was shaken to a pause at that question. Both she and Ainz seemed to realize her answer did not come as quickly as the previous, and slowly Tuare's eyes drifted off to her side.

"…I… I would be tempted." She admitted, her hands unconsciously twisting Sebas' handkerchief, clearly ashamed of herself for such a thing. "Lord Sebas and Miss Solution… I don't know how they were able to heal my body. It didn't even feel like mine when I woke up in the mansion, it…it didn't hurt like it always did. It was a miracle. …But even now…I can still feel them grabbing at me. Those men from the kingdom…twisting my body, laughing while I cried and begged them to stop! I can't-!" The tears were quick to leak from the sides of Tuare's eyes and her arms hugged her shaking body, trying desperately to keep from breaking down right in front of the Supreme One.

Tuare nearly gave a jump and fell over when Ainz's hand suddenly reached out to her. Fear was all that kept her in place, something her "training" at the brothel had drilled into her.

But then, instead of pain or force like she'd expected, Tuare felt the soft touch of cloth against her cheek. Ainz was using the edge of his sleeve to gently wipe away her tears. For a brief moment, Tuare forgot where she was and almost leaned into his bone hand, expecting to feel Sebas' glove.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Lord Ainz…"

"You have nothing to apologize for. Most certainly not for being honest with me." Ainz assured her as he withdrew his sleeve from her face. "I cannot imagine the horrors you've been through. I doubt anyone outside of those who've been through the same experiences truly could."

"B-but even for that, I wouldn't betray Lord Sebas!" Tuare quickly said, trying to keep herself from being further disgraced. "The brothel…it was just like what I imagined Hell was like and he saved me from it! I don't want to remember what happened but I don't want to forget Lord Sebas! If holding onto those memories means I get to stay with him, then…then…"

She was telling the truth, at least as far as Ainz could tell. He didn't doubt that. But, strongly as she felt about Sebas, clearly the trauma was great enough where she couldn't bring herself to say outright that she'd make herself hold onto it, and Ainz had no intention of forcing her to.

"Temptation itself is nothing to be ashamed of. It's merely whether or not you choose to act on it that matters." He assured her.

Before he allowed her to work for him in the tomb, Ainz had offered Tuare a large sum of gold and said he would erase her memories so she could live her life as a normal, happy human somewhere far away. He wondered sometimes if maybe he'd given her the impression he was going to erase all the bad memories she had. But unfortunately that had never been his intention. True, he had already tested such magic in this new world and knew that it worked here, but it cost a significant amount of MP just to rewrite a few minutes of the Emmot sisters' memories. What Tuare likely wanted to forget was years' worth of horror. It's not that it couldn't be done at all. Ainz had consumables in his inventory that could replenish MP and though it would take many, many, MANY sessions and days, in theory he could get rid of it all.

However…it was something Ainz liked to believe his undead nature was the source of his heartlessness on the matter. For the amount of time and resources it would cost him and Nazarick, there was simply not enough gain for such actions to be justified. Tuare would be the only one to benefit, and while that in itself was of course not a bad thing, Nazarick's needs came first before one little girl's.

"Tuare, the quote I told you before, about man having no greater love… It was…_is_…the creed of our guild. Of Ainz Ooal Gown. It is the mantra I and my comrades did our best to live by. That I smile at every time I see hints of it within those we created. And in particular, I saw it within you and Sebas."

Ainz was so much taller than her, even with them both standing. Being so close he easily dwarfed her. Tuare felt so small and yet…for some reason…she didn't feel as scared as before as Ainz looked down upon her.

"Sebas knew the risks to himself and yet he still chose to help you. And when the time came, you did not hesitate to lay down your life for him. Nazarick is more precious to me than anything in this world. I would not trade a single one of its bricks for all the treasures and magics it has to offer. Were it any other case, I would have sent you along your way without a second thought. But within you, Tuareninya, I saw the ideals of Ainz Ooal Gown. I saw someone worth bringing into our world! Worthy of representing the name I cherish so greatly!"

Tuare had never seen anyone take such a majestic stand as the skeleton before her, speaking like a true king.

"I cannot promise I'll always be there to keep you protected. Powerful as I am, even I cannot see the future. However, I can say this; for as long as there are those within Nazarick whom are loyal to me, they will carry out my wishes and my orders. So long as you do not betray the faith Sebas has placed in you, I will not order him to abandon you. For as long as you do not bring shame upon the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, that name will not forsake you. Though you were not born of the Supreme Beings, so long as you work to the benefit of the Great Tomb, then you ARE of Nazarick, so say I!"

The room was quiet after that, Ainz words hanging in the air between them. So long was the moment that he realized how stupid he must have looked holding this same pose for so long. If he had the ability to sweat he most certainly would be quite shiny by now from the lights around him.

It was then that he heard a small squeak. It'd come from Tuare, her face becoming ugly as she tried to hold everything back, but she quickly failed at it. The maid collapsed to her knees, her wails echoing throughout the chamber as the tears flowed like rivers from her eyes.

_"Shit! Oh shit, was I really that bad?! Was that not the right thing to say?!" _Ainz panicked, feeling his emotions suppress a few times in a row as he frantically tried to think of something to get her to stop crying.

But then…

"-ank you…" Ainz barely heard the squeak, it was so quiet. "Thank you, Lord Ainz…!" Tuare choked as she bawled her eyes out into her handkerchief. "Thank you…!"

He hadn't upset her. His words had moved her to tears, she was so grateful to them.

_"…I never used to make people cry this much back when I was human. I wonder if there's something wrong with me?"_ Ainz still couldn't help but think, given how often it kept happening around him.


	4. Return

**Part 4: Return**

Right on time (which was to say, exactly to the second) there was a knock on the doors to Ainz's chambers.

"Enter."

As he had that morning, Sebas entered the room with a maid at his side. Or perhaps it'd be more accurate to say as he had yesterday morning. Ainz perception of time had been skewed ever since coming to the New World. Down here especially in this windowless underground tomb hours could pass by without notice and apparently they had, Ainz not realizing night had long since fallen outside and a new day had technically begun.

"I'm here to relieve Tuare of her duties." Sebas addressed his master when he finally arrived at his desk; Foire waiting patiently behind him.

"I see. It's already that time then." Ainz commented, turning to Tuare off to his side. "Very well then. Tuare, you are dismissed. You may return to your quarters."

"Thank you, Lord Ainz." Tuare bowed to him, much less stutter in her voice than when he'd first left her here, Sebas couldn't help but notice.

Tuare and Foire walked in almost perfect sync with each other as they traded places, Tuare going to Sebas' side while the Homunculus Maid went to Ainz's; it being her turn as his aide for the day.

Tuare smiled warmly at the butler upon being able to stand next to him again, and though Sebas was happy to see her too, he had a duty to remain professional and kept his same stoic expression, his attention focused on his master.

"She did very well serving me today. You should be proud of how well you've trained her, Sebas." Ainz praised him. "Please, give my similar gratitude to Yuri Alpha and Pestonya. I know that allowing a human into the tomb was a transition for many, but I am quite proud of how well you all have met and even surpassed my expectations."

"Your words honor us, my lord." Sebas bowed to him, Tuare following his lead and doing the same. "As you command, so shall it be done."

Ainz nodded with a satisfied grunt. "That is all. You may go now."

* * *

Once they had given the Supreme One the proper farewells, Sebas and Tuare were back on their way to her room. Give how unfamiliar she was with this section of the 9th floor, Sebas believed it'd be better if he guided her back personally rather than sending her off on her own, as getting lost around here could lead to fair worse damage than just to her reputation.

As the two walked along, they passed through the now empty stretch of hallway where there'd been such a crowd so many hours ago.

* * *

_"What on earth is the purpose in such a random gathering?"_

_ The new voice came as a surprise to everyone and even popped Albedo out of her boiling state as they all turned to look to its source, the red suit standing up immediately against the white of the hallway, with his metal-plated tail swinging gently behind him as he walked._

_ "Lord Demiurge!" All the maids, including Narberal and CZ, bowed to his arrival._

_ "Ah, Demiurge." All traces of the Albedo from just seconds ago were completely gone, vanished so thoroughly it would almost lead all present to think they were insane to think the beautiful woman before them had ever shown such monstrous features. She addressed her follow Guardian professionally and without fault. "We were not expecting you back so soon."_

_ "The foundation for the future Sorcerer Kingdom is coming along at a very brisk pace, very much due to all the undead Lord Ainz generously provided. I merely came in person to speak with you, Albedo, as to the next steps you've been discussing with him." Demiurge explained himself. "Now please, do tell why a group such as this is in the middle of the 9__th__ floor?"_

_ Sebas felt it would be best if he explained the situation. "It would seem the other maids were feeling a bit…anxious and overprotective. You see, Lord Ainz made a request to have Tuare as his maid for the day and is in fact serving him now."_

_ Demiurge seemed confused for a moment at what he was being told, leading the Homunculus Maids to feel he might be on their side in this. But then a look of understanding passed over his features and the red devil gave a smile._

"_I see. So he's already moving into preparations for that part of the plan." Demiurge remarked knowingly, pushing his glasses up his nose so elegantly with just a single finger. "Truly the Supreme One's work ethic is nothing short of astounding."_

"_Plan?" The maids asked, even Demiurge's fellow Guardians seeming a bit lost to his meaning._

"_How you all truly not realized it yet, even after all this time?" He asked them, just a touch prideful in his intelligence over theirs in this matter. "Lord Ainz never does anything randomly. Every action he takes is with a far grander goal in mind than the obvious and immediate. Momon himself should be proof enough of that._

"_Think about it;" He said. "What did we just accomplish? We brought the city of E-Rantel under our flag and are transforming it into Lord Ainz's glorious Sorcerer Kingdom. A grand accomplishment to be sure…if we were just another human kingdom. But we are not. We've seen time and again that our strength far surpasses those of this world and Ainz revealed such a fact to all its residents at the battle between the kingdom and the empire with just his single spell. He could have sent us Guardians out any time he wanted to claim E-Rantel and more. Yet he didn't. Why do you suppose that is?"_

_When still no one said anything or seemed to get it, Demiurge just shook his head in a tsk-tsk fashion._

"_Think of it this way; diamonds are of the most valuable jewels but they are not the only type to be collected. Be it hardness, shine, or color, there's reason to collect those of all type. If this world is a box of jewels, why should the Supreme One settle for just one type? Is he not more than worthy of everything the box holds? Humans could be considered the lowest-class of jewel but it matters not. They still belong to Lord Ainz by right and we'd hardly be presenting him anything of worth if he just ordered us to lay waste to everything before us. Anyone can rule over a pile of rubble, but that certainly wouldn't be fitting of one of his status."_

"_I apologize, but I still don't see how Tuare fits into all of this." Sebas said._

"_When is a procured good more likely to be in good condition: when it is taken by force or when it is given freely?" Demiurge answered the butler's question with another question. "In the former there's a risk of the item being damaged in the scuffle, while in the latter it's openly acknowledged the item is better off in the receiver's hands. Lord Ainz could easily subjugate the humans by force but to do so would likely exterminate what little value to him they possess. But were they to see the joys and wonders that come from serving the Supreme One, the humans would give up their freedom by choice."_

_Of all those in the group, Demiurge was unsurprised to see that it was Albedo whom finally grasped his meaning first. "I see. The girl's presence is much like why Lord Ainz created Momon. Momon keeps the humans' peace of mind, believing he's what protects them from outright slaughter, and Tuare is to give the impression that there is indeed a place for humans in Lord Ainz's reign, giving them hope for their future."_

"_Precisely. With the girl personally serving Lord Ainz as we speak, I suspect he is grooming her for a head maid position within the Sorcerer Kingdom once it's far enough along."_

_The Homunculus Maids immediately raised their heads in alarm. "But-!"_

"_That isn't to say Lord Ainz will be using humans as replacements for any of his regular maids." Demiurge quickly interrupted before they could go any further. "It's just a simple fact that the goal is to give Lord Ainz the entire world. A hundred maids, even those created by the Supreme Beings, would be hard-pressed to keep a million mansions sufficiently clean and managed. Lord Ainz is merely looking ahead to the future, as he always has."_

"_Do you believe Lord Ainz has been planning this since the moment he met Tuare?" Sebas asked._

"_There can be no doubt. To think I actually embarrassed myself so greatly by recommending she be merely put to work on my farm, while he had such a plan already laid out." Demiurge's words sang genuine praise to his master, but for a moment there was a clear bit of disgust with himself mixed in. "It truly shows Lord Ainz's generosity that he did not scold me on the spot for my ignorance. He even afforded me a chance to save face, insisting that he was only sparing the girl because of a debt he felt he owed another human."_

"_Wow…Lord Ainz is amazing." Mare said, a deep blush of admiration across his face. He could have long since left but as the conversation veered more towards their master he felt the greater and greater need to just stay and listen._

_Albedo's arms hugged her body as she swooned. "Yes…he truly is." She sighed lovingly, a similar but much more mature blush coming across her features as she thought of her one true love and his endless brilliance._

* * *

The more Sebas thought about it, the more Demiurge's words made sense. In so many ways, Tuare was indeed an ideal pawn for Lord Ainz in this manipulation. Tuare had suffered endlessly at the hands of other humans before eventually finding safety and solace among monsters. There would not be a single negative thing she would have to say about the Supreme One or Nazarick. Every positive she'd give would be complete truth and any criticisms would be so overshadowed by her memories of the past that they'd be almost non-existent. Eventually, people would have to face the reality that there was a human far happier living under the rule of the Sorcerer King than she'd been before him and eventually they'd have to acknowledge why that was.

If what Demiurge said was true, that Lord Ainz was planning on using Tuare in such a way, as basically propaganda…

…Then he would do everything in his power to see to it his master's vision is fulfilled. That Tuare was ready for whatever he needed.

Lord Ainz had never punished him for risking his and Solution's mission by saving Tuare. He'd even rewarded Sebas for his efforts by sparing her life and giving him the money for clothes and other daily necessities for her. Still…he'd never managed to shake the feeling that he betrayed his master and it was a shame Sebas constantly carried around with him.

But now…to hear that his actions were actually of use to Lord Ainz…and even better, that Tuare herself was going to prove of use to him…it was like a huge weight had been lifted off Sebas' chest. It was the greatest desire of all those created by the Supreme Beings to serve them. It was their purpose and the one thing above all else that made them feel most complete. That Tuare was getting to share in that honor, Sebas couldn't be prouder.

They were getting close to Tuare's room. It was within sight of where they were now.

"Tuare," Sebas spoke, immediately getting her to turn her head to him as they walked. "If I might ask, how was your first day serving Lord Ainz directly?"

Tuare took a small moment to think about her answer. "…If I'm being honest…he was kind of scary. Just the pressure he gave off his body…if felt like all he'd have to do is just point at me and I'd be wiped off the planet."

"I see. An understandable feeling. Lord Ainz is indeed a being of unfathomable power." Sebas said, his voice non-judgmental. Only a fool would ever dare to take the Supreme One lightly.

"But…" Tuare spoke up again, much to Sebas' surprise. "He was also incredibly kind." She said with such a warm smile, the kind Sebas had only ever seen her give to him.

Seeing that, the very edges of the butler's lips couldn't but form a just barely noticeable smile of the same type. "That he is. Of all the Supreme Beings who could have stayed behind, we are reminded every day how lucky we are that it was Lord Ainz."

They'd finally arrived at Tuare's door. Sebas had other duties he needed to attend to, so he did not offer to spend the night to help her sleep, instead merely wishing her a good rest.

However, before he would have left, Sebas noticed Tuare just watching him dreamily from the doorway, a bit lost in thought.

"Tuare? Is something the matter?"

Tuare snapped back to reality, realizing she'd been staring without meaning to. "Oh! S-sorry! No, no. It's nothing, Lord Sebas." She shook her head, her cheeks slightly tinted pink. Sebas eyed her with a bit of puzzlement but she didn't mind.

Lord Ainz had asked Tuare not to speak too openly about all he'd shared with her regarding Nazarick. He did not wish to give the appearance of favoritism and beyond that, the subject of the other Supreme Beings was likely still a sore spot for many of the tomb's residents. Regardless of what any individual's reaction may be, it was best not to tempt such things and Tuare couldn't help but agree. Even as she watched Sebas leave, no matter how much she wanted to talk with him about it all, she did not wish to bring up anything that might offend him. Or worse, make him remember any sadness he carried.

As she entered into her room, Tuare thought of everything she'd been told, and she realized for the first time in a very long time she had something she was looking forward to.

She was looking forward to the day she found out Lord Ainz's real name. Because when that day comes, it'd mean that he found at least one of the other Supreme Beings.

And with that came the small chance that the one found was that knight in the glorious white armor. The one whom had created the man she loved. Even now, as she smiled and her hands hugged her handkerchief over her heart, she couldn't help but picture his bearded face as the one underneath that helmet.

* * *

With everything he'd been planning to do for the day long since completed, Ainz stood up from his desk, ready to retire to his room. As he did, Foire turned his way to follow him in.

Internally, Ainz gave a sigh. _"And just like that, I'm right back to where I started."_

Still, despite his groans, Ainz did not feel as stressed out as he had a few days ago. He did not feel as much like a caged animal, despite the fact the cage was clearly still there.

As he wondered why that was, he couldn't help but remember when he'd first become his in-game avatar. Specifically, when he'd gone to the 6th floor's amphitheater to test his abilities and make certain he still would be able to defend himself with magic if need be.

His emotions were on a suppressor, so that obviously was the main reason he had not been freaking out beyond rational thought despite the insane, impossible situation he'd found himself in. But he remembered when he'd been talking to Aura and Mare, almost bragging about the stats of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, what it was capable of and everything he and the rest of the guild had done to create it. For just that brief moment, Ainz had forgotten his fears and just became lost again in those good times.

"_I think I've heard that reminiscing is a good way to relax the mind. Just remembering nice, happy times in your life. Like playing an old video game you've already beaten several times over." _Ainz thought to himself as he walked to his room, the door being just a few feet away from where he'd been sitting. _"All the NPCs already know everything about my old friends. At least…everything they can understand about them. I suppose Tuare was just my excuse to talk about them all again."_

Walking into his room, the bed was perfectly made, as always, though that part was less a product of Tuare's great efforts and more simply the fact Ainz rarely had reason to lie down in it. He'd certainly like to right now, for no other reason than that he found the strange, still unidentifiable scent that often coated the sheets surprisingly soothing. But with Foire right behind him, it probably wouldn't look very dignified for the ruler of Nazarick to bury his head in his pillow and start sniffing deeply.

"_I should maybe try something like that again sometime. I could easily just use the excuse that it's to help Tuare better understand Nazarick. None of the NPCs would really question that. But we'll shelve that idea for another day. I'll be living primarily in the Sorcerer Kingdom soon, so it's doubtful Tuare and I will even be seeing a lot of each other anyway. Not unless Sebas wants to take her on another shopping date there."_

Ainz giggled to himself like a little boy over that last thought, thinking that in that case, he might actually follow them in secret like he'd considered doing last time. He gave himself a mental smack for being such a dork.

* * *

**Epilogue:**

"CZ, is something wrong?" Narberal turned to her sister of the Pleiades, noticing that she seemed to be quieter than usual.

"…I didn't get any lines."

* * *

**Author's notes: **Like I said, not a very long or deep story. Just something I thought might be enjoyable to throw out there, especially since I don't think there are many stories out there with Ainz and Tuare interacting.

I am really grateful for how supportive everyone was of this story. It really means a lot to hear that people like what you wrote. I was genuinely surprised how popular this story was, but I suppose that goes to show how popular _Overlord _is.

Funny enough, _Overlord _was one of those shows I hesitated to get into because I thought I wouldn't like it. I think I just heard about the premise and thought it was just going to be a comedy harem anime. My favorite thing is when I think I'll dislike a show and I end up absolutely loving it. It happened with _One Punch Man, Steven Universe, _and _My Hero Academia_. As soon as I finished the _Overlord _anime I just went scouring the internet for more Overlord, just anything Overlord! That's how I found out about _Ple Ple Pleiades_, _Overlord: The Undead Oh!,_ the various short stories, and most importantly, the Light Novels. I went out and bought the first nine volumes and thankfully found a place online where I could read translated versions of the others.


End file.
